The definitive oral history of Darby Crash and the Germs —the legendary, self-destructive LA punk band that ignited Los Angeles hardcoreand burned out in a heroin overdose in 1980. Born Jan Paul Beahm, Darby Crashwas the charismatic, manipulative, hyperintelligent frontman who built a cultfollowing in the slums of Hollywood before dying at age 22.
Compiled by three insiders — Brendan Mullen, founder of theMasque and coauthor of We Got the Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story of L.A.Punk; Don Bolles, drummer for the Germs; and Adam Parfrey, founder of FeralHouse and author of Apocalypse Culture — Lexicon Devil assemblesraw, firsthand testimony from the people who were there. Voices include JohnDoe, Exene Cervenka, Belinda Carlisle, Joan Jett, Jello Biafra, Phranc, and PatSmear, tracing the rise of West Coast punk through the scene that produced it.
The book demystifies the punk-messiah myth of Darby Crash,revealing a scared, insecure, brilliant misfit whose story runs from thehilarious to the tragic. Extensively illustrated with rare photographs andincluding a Germs discography, gig list, lyrics, and a full cast of characters.
Essential reading for fans of LA punk, hardcore, 1970s and1980s punk rock history, oral history music biographies, and definitiveaccounts of the Sunset Strip underground.
Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers called the Germs the bestpunk rock band of all time. Critic Richard Meltzer praised it as the finestpunk book ever printed.
